And so it ends: as the World Series ends baseball season, and as the Stanley Cup playoffs end hockey season, so does the Breeders’ Cup Championship end the Thoroughbred racing season. Fortunately for us, unlike those other sports, we get to keep watching horse-racing, even during the “off-season.” The champ is crowned, and a worthy…
Just posted this to the TBA handicapping contest. Read ’em and weep…by this tomorrow, I likely will! Juvenile Fillies: A to the CroftJuvenile: War PassFilly & Mare Turf: Passage of TimeSprint: ForefathersMile: Excellent ArtDistaff: Lear’s PrincessTurf: Dylan ThomasClassic: Curlin Disclaimer: I have no idea if these horses are actually what I will bet. But as…
As noted below, the number in parentheses following each race is Brisnet’s Prime Power rank in the race. Mile: Not much in the way of affiliation in this race, so I guess I’d love to see My Typhoon beat the boys. I don’t really think she will, but it would be kind of cool in…
If Monmouth was half as miserable this afternoon as Brooklyn was, I feel awfully sorry for all the people gathered down south: the Monmouth folks who worked so hard to pull this off; the patrons huddling for a warm and dry spot without their forbidden umbrellas; the horses running in the mud; and the jockeys…
…of children and horses. I wrote yesterday about the connection between Oprah Winney (who has her own website) and the Belmont Child Care Association, and I learned today that the Breeders’ Cup production crew was at Anna House recently. A segment on Anna House is scheduled to run during Friday’s coverage…so set your TiVo (as…
As of Tuesday afternoon, Brooklyn Backstretch is officially a member of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance. You’ll see the other members on the blogroll to the left, and I’m happy to say that a condition of membership is an annual donation to Old Friends. Happy to pay that price of admission, and happy to be a…
Last Wednesday afternoon, literally minutes before heading out to drive south to Virginia for a conference (on academic integrity—woo-hoo, right?), I exchanged a couple of e-mails with an internet horse racing friend who shares my affection for the horses of Allen Jerkens, particularly Duchess of Rokeby. Hearing that I was headed south, she urged me…
Sometimes, timing is everything; in response to Railbird’s post about Breeders’ Cup pre-entries, I posted a comment about the mysterious missing Sargent Seattle, who raced so well at Saratoga this summer. From the same owner/trainer combo who brought us Discreet Cat two summers ago, rumors abounded after Sargent Seattle’s late scratch from the Saratoga Special…
Welcome to NY Showcase Day! Ten races for NY breds, a celebration of NY products; what a shame that this New Yorker will be wending her way home from points south and missing the whole day. Race 3: The Sleepy Hollow Stakes. Many of today’s races follow the longstanding tradition of naming races after regions…
Maddening! I’m away from home at a conference with limited time for writing and all of a sudden there’s TONS to write about. Maddening! First, a little equine history. Friday afternoon at Belmont is the ungraded Storm Flag Flying…and what a pleasure it is write about this amazing mare. By Storm Cat out of My…
Brooklyn Backstretch 